ASSOCIATED PRESS / Beth Hall, file
Arkansas running back Ronnie Wingo Jr. carries the ball Sept. 25, 2010, during a 24-20 loss to Alabama in Fayetteville. Arkansas’ running game wasn’t strong enough to hold off Alabama in the second half last season. The No. 14 Razorbacks hope they’ve found the answer against the No. 3 Crimson Tide this season in the form of Wingo.

Arkansas’ run game was a big problem in last season’s loss to Alabama. The Razorbacks built a 20-7 lead, but its struggles to run the ball and sustain drives in the second half played a big hand in Arkansas’ 24-20 loss.

It’s a question mark once again as the 14th-ranked Razorbacks (3-0) travel to No. 3 Alabama (3-0) on Saturday. Arkansas knows it must get production out of the backfield and, with Knile Davis out for the season, is turning to Ronnie Wingo Jr. to carry the rushing load.

Wingo is coming off a confidence-building performance in the Troy win, rushing for a career-high 109 yards with three touchdowns. Wingo will share carries with Dennis Johnson and De’Anthony Curtis at Alabama, but his performance could be vital to Arkansas’’ offensive success.

So Wingo is a natural choice for this week’s Q&A. The junior spoke about the Troy game, Alabama’s defense and what it would mean to beat the Crimson Tide during a Monday interview:

Q: Do you feel like you really established yourself as an every-down running back this last game?

A: “I feel like it really started last year and in the spring, just getting better as a running back. Then just this year, the first couple games, just doing little stuff here and there. Going to the meeting room and just learning each week. Then I feel like this last week I put everything together. I just feel like I’ve got to do the same thing this weekend.”

Q: People usually have a tough time running on Alabama. Why is that?

A: “They’re a great defense and they’ve got great players. A lot of guys will be playing on Sundays in a year or two. But we just have to go out and execute and just believe in what we practice and believe in what coach Petrino is going to call and believe it’s going to work.”

Q: What did it mean to have Dennis Johnson back the other night?

A: “It was good having him back, just him on the field brings more towards us. We just feel like we’re all together and everything. So it feels good. It’s going to help us out this weekend. He’s just getting his feet back wet because he hasn’t played in so long. So I feel this Saturday he should have a good game.”

Q: What do you remember from Tuscaloosa two years ago (a 35-7 loss)?

A: “We played a good team. The crowd was into it. We’ve just got to go out and don’t let the crowd get into it and be able to communicate with the crowd noise and everything.”

Q: What did you learn from last year’s game (a 24-20 loss)?

A: “The main thing we’ve got to do is just finish. We had the lead last year in the fourth quarter, we just didn’t finish the game out. I feel like we learned from that and we’re going to have to finish this time around.”

Q: Arkansas hasn’t beaten Alabama since 2007. What would it mean to do it?

A: “It would be good for the seniors. It would be good for the program and just the state of Arkansas just to beat Alabama. And then we just know the sky is the limit from there. So we’ve just got to come out Saturday and just give it all out, and just take a shot, shoot for the moon.”